Judges: Such a Great Salvation

As a first foray into Judges, Dale Ralph Davis cannot be bettered. He marries attention to the text, rich pastoral application, and tasteful humor. While the material is accessible, there is also enough to stretch the serious reader. His writing can aid any preacher seeking to be anchored in the text but mindful of redemptive and canonical details in the biblical narrative. Mathison says that Davis’s writing is “very practical, but it avoids the kind of moralizing exposition that rips passages out of context in order to make some vague inspirational point.” [Full Review]

Dale Ralph Davis does an excellent job on covering the judges, bringing us into the time period and getting us to feel what was felt back then (largely pain). He writes well, he applies well. You can't go wrong in getting a Davis commentary.

Dale Ralph Davis has written many Old Testament commentaries and expositions, all of which are great, and his Judges: Such a Great Salvation is no exception. It is less of a commentary and more of a running exposition, though he does discuss some technical issues when pertinent to the understanding of a passage... [Full Review]

I have said before that I am always glad to find a clear consensus on the best commentary on any book of the Bible. When it comes to Judges, the consensus is that there are two excellent volumes which perfectly complement one another. The first is Dale Ralph Davis’ volume in the Focus on the Bible series. Keith Mathison says it well: “If you can only have one commentary on the historical books, get the commentaries by Davis. There are other commentaries that go into more detail on technical issues (see below), but Davis provides what most Christian readers of these books need — a concise and readable explanation of the text that sets each book within the larger context of biblical redemptive history all without ever becoming boring or trite.” [Full Review]

Excellent commentary for what it is and sets out to accomplish. It does not go overboard in circulating various theological thoughts and agendas, or confusing, distorting, and unnecessary meanings within the text. Davis is concise, precise, and articulate making it very readable. Recommended for classrooms and a deep devotional experience. While there may be other commentaries for something larger, this is what I first take off of my shelf when I want a quick and basic understanding of a particular passage.

Wow, what a great little easy to read commentary. Very devotional/expositional in nature. For the pastor, this book along with Wilcox are definitely first picks for the book of Judges. He obviously has a ton of scholarship behind his insights, but he focuses on making the text very real and alive and practical for us today. His illustrations and applications are very helpful. This is a commentary that is enjoyable to read.

An exemplary "theo-centric exposition" - full of anecdotes and applications. Those looking for more background information, see Block.

As I mentioned in the post on Joshua commentaries, if you can only have one commentary on the historical books, get the commentaries by Davis. There are other commentaries that go into more detail on technical issues (see below), but Davis provides what most Christian readers of these books need -- a concise and readable explanation of the text that sets each book within the larger context of biblical redemptive history all without ever becoming boring or trite. This commentary, like the others, is also very practical, but it avoids the kind of moralizing exposition that rips passages out of context in order to make some vague inspirational point. [Full Review]